Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) CEO Sells 27,474 Shares of Company Stock

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Meta Platforms stock traded down $36.04 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $715.62. 27,677,978 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,129,420. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $616.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $613.27. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Meta Platforms

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in META. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 372,579 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $209,870,000 after buying an additional 19,353 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 6.4% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 119,557 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $67,330,000 after acquiring an additional 7,184 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Meta Platforms by 2.0% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,236,516 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,823,088,000 after acquiring an additional 64,136 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 13.9% during the second quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 74,799 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $42,134,000 after buying an additional 9,114 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. President Capital raised Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research report on Thursday. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $787.86.

Key Meta Platforms News

Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched the Meta Enterprise Platform, offering businesses and developers access to its Muse AI agent, Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. The company hired MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the initiative, signaling an effort to generate revenue from its multibillion-dollar AI investments beyond advertising. Meta launches enterprise AI platform
• Positive Sentiment: Muse’s integration across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp is supporting rapid user adoption; the AI-powered app reportedly reached the top spot in the U.S. App Store. Analysts also see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, enterprise tools and commercial API licensing. Meta Platforms boosts ad engagement with AI
• Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on META to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI opportunity and expanding ecosystem. AI improvements are also reportedly increasing ad engagement, clicks and conversions. Meta Platforms price target raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over Meta’s AI strategy. Bullish analysts expect new AI agents, smart glasses and enterprise software to create additional revenue streams, while others question whether the returns will justify the investment.
• Negative Sentiment: Capital expenditures rose sharply to $31.1 billion in the second quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier. The scale of data-center and AI spending is raising concerns about returns on capital and near-term margins. Meta Platforms: Are You Going to Buy the Promise?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a competing AI assistant intensified competitive concerns. Separately, alleged Muse disclosures of private messages and a user’s address have triggered privacy and safety criticism, potentially creating regulatory and reputational risks. Elon Musk amplifies privacy concerns over Muse
• Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces legal and political overhang after a New Mexico jury found that Facebook misled residents about personal-data practices, while lawmakers are questioning AI and data-center tax subsidies. Recent gains have additionally left the valuation less compelling, increasing sensitivity to execution disappointments.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.